Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance tells of urban socialites Agnes and Tobias, who appear to inhabit a glamorous world of drinks parties and social clubs. The return home of their recently divorced daughter, the constant presence of Agnes’ alcoholic sister and the impromptu late-night arrival of some close friends begin to peel away this veneer. As their lives become increasingly claustrophobic, the characters battle with their fear of stepping into the real world, opting instead for the undemanding familiarity of their own drawing room.

Laced with acerbic wit, A Delicate Balance won Albee his first Pulitzer Prize and followed the success of his breakthrough work Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?

Penelope Wilton, who leads the cast of A Delicate Balance, in one of Britain’s leading actresses, both on stage and screen. Her recent theatre credits include Hamlet, The Family Reunion and John Gabriel Borkman, and her films include Pride And Preudice and The History Boys.

A Delicate Balance is the third of Albee’s dramas to be staged at the Almeida theatre after the success of Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? in 1996 and The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia in 2004.

For more about A Delicate Balance at the Almeida theatre, read the First Night Feature or the Big Interview with Imelda Staunton.